Improvement in breech-loading ordnance



G. W. BIS-HUP. Breech-loading Ordnance.

Patented Sept. 9, 1856.

PLPETERS, FHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, a. Q

' UN ITEn STATES 5 PATENT UFFICE.

G. V. BISHUP, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 15,682, dated September 9, 1856.

To all whqm, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, G. XV. BISHUP, of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement. in Breech-Loading Cannons and other Ordnance; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of a breech-loading cannon with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same in the line a; :0, shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view of the breech-pin detached.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to a novel method of securing the breech-pin in place.

It consists in providing the breech-pin with a number of expanding segments which are operated by a screw=and-toggle movement, or its equivalent, as hereinafter described, to be drawn into a recess or groove round the pin to allow the pin to be inserted in or removed from the gun, and after the insertion of the pin in the gun to be expanded or spread out laterally into a groove around the seat which receives the pin, so as to form stays to act be tween the pin and the solid metal of the exterior of the breech for the prevention of the driving out of the pin when the explosion of the charge of the piece takes place.

, To enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The gun A is bored truly and parallel from the muzzle to the line a a, (see Fig. 1,) where the face of the breech-pin meets the bore. From the point (t a toward the rear of the gun the bore is enlarged gradually or in a slightly conical form to b b, from whence it is again enlarged more suddenly than from a, and then suddenly contracted nearly to the same size as at b I), thus forming a conical groove, 1) c, all around the interior. From the line 0 the bore is again enlarged in a conical form to the rear extremity of the gun. The enlarged portion of the bore in the rear of the line a a constitutes the seat for the'breech-pin.

B O is the breech-pin, which, in order to obtain a closed cavity, D, in its interior to receive the mechanism for operating its expanding or spreading segments, is made in two parts, of which the front part, B,which is bored out for some distance from its rear extremity to form the aforesaid cavityD, is screwed into the front of the rear part, 0. The front portion of the part B is turned to a conical shape and ground to fit the part a b of the bore of the gun, and the part 0 is turned and ground to fit the conically-enlarged portion of the bore at the extreme rear of the gun. Opposite to the conical groove 1) 0 there is a groove, (Z (2, turned in the exterior of the breech-pin to re ceive the expanding segments E E. These segments, of which there may be three or more, are made of stout steel or iron, and are fitted to the groove (1 (Z1 in the breech-pin, so that they will lie snugly within it to allow the breech-pin to be inserted in the gun as far as desirable. They are confined to the breech-pin at the front of the groove d d by means of pins 6 c, rigidly attached to them, and entering holes provided in the breech-pin to serve as hinges upon which the segments are capable of expanding or spreading outward, so as toenter into the conical grooveb cwhen the breech-pin is in its place. The segments are of such length as to reach from the front d of the groove (Z d in the breech-pin to the back part, c, of the groove Z) c in the gun when they are spread while the breechpin is in the gun, and their ends are so formed as to have a good solid bearing in the said grooves d d and b 0. The end (1 of the groove (2 (1 may be square with the axis of the pin; but the end 0 of the groove 1) c is tapered or curved in such a manner that by forcing out the segments in contact with it the segments will produce a slight drawing action to draw the breech-pin tightly into the gun. The segments are shown in black outline in Fig.- 1 drawn into the groove (1 d in the breech-pin, in condition for the insertion of the breech-pin into or its removal from the gun, and they are shown in red outline in the same figure expanded into the groove I) c, in which condition they hold the breech-pin firmly in place and prevent it being driven back from the gun by the force of the explosion, which force is met directly by the segments and transmitted to the shoulder 0 at the back part of the groove Z) 0. The expanding or spreading of the segments and the drawing of them into the breech-pin is receive them, as shown in Fig. 1. These pins ter to turn freely within it, but to have no longitudinal movement independently of it, Consequently, by turning the screw and there- .by causing it to move longitudinally, the collar is movedlongitudinally also, and by that means 'acts upon the links after the fashion of a toggle movement and forces the segments outward from the breech-pin or draws them inward, according to the direction in which thehscrew is turned. The screw is provided with awheel,

' j, or handle at the back part of the breech-pin, by which it is turned. The breech-pin, when the segments are drawn into the groove d d, maybe moved into'and from its place in the gun by any suitable mechanical means, which do not require to be now described.

I do not confine myself to the particular form of the groove b c, or of the segments; but

Vhat I claim-as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the groove I) 0, made around the seat of the breech-pin, and the segments E E, attached to the breech-pin, the said segments being operated by a screw-and'tog gle movement, or other equivalent means of spreading or expanding them into the said groove or withdrawing them therefrom, sub: stantially as herein described.

w, BISHUP.

Vitnesses:

J. F. BUCKLEY, \V. TUson. 

